Fred Vasseur explains the challenges which are awaiting F1’s new tyre supplier

The new contract for the tire supplier will run from 2025 to 2027, with an option to extend to 2028.

Fred Vasseur explains the challenges which are awaiting F1’s new tyre supplier

Fred Vasseur (Via IMAGO)

Pirelli and Bridgestone have been in a bidding war for a long time now to secure F1’s tender for being their sole tire supplier from 2025 to 2027. Ferrari chief Fred Vasseur has expressed his concerns about whether Bridgestone if given the tender, will be able to meet the demands given the time constraint imposed on them.

The new technical changes from 2026 will see a high increase in torque in the cars. Also, with the tire blanket ban from 2025, the supplier must work on that aspect much earlier. Reportedly, the terms under the new tender dictate that the supplier must introduce electronic connectivity in the tires for identification, data collection, and broadcast purposes.

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Since the technical changes will take effect in 2026, Bridgestone must work on and supply two different tires in just two years. Vasseur claimed that this, along with the fact that they will be supplying not just to F1 but to F2 and F3, makes him doubt whether Bridgestone can pull it off.

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“It means that you will have to develop two different tyres or construction or perhaps dimensions in the next two or three years. You also doing the junior series and so it means that it’s a very, very large [challenge],” said Vasseur, as per Racing News 365.

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The reason behind why the Pirelli-Bridgestone saga has been stretched for so long

Formula One cars lined up
Formula One cars lined up (Credits: Formula1.uno)

F1 announced in March this year that they will start looking for their new tire supplier. Current supplier Pirelli and former supplier Bridgestone (1997-2010) are the major runners for the deal. It was earlier thought that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was torn between Pirelli’s reliability and Bridgestone’s financial plan, but recent reports suggest that it might be far more complicated than that.

It has been reported that if Pirelli gets the new tender this year, they will exit F1 in 2029 after the expiration of their deal, as their marketing targets would have been achieved by then. However, this would put F1 in a very difficult position.

Since there are two competitors, Domenicali has been maneuvering the negotiations in their best interests. But if there is no one to compete with Bridgestone in 2029, F1 would lose its authoritarian position and would not be able to negotiate as well as they can right now. While names like Michelin and Hankook have been mentioned occasionally, it is very unlikely they will return to the sport.

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